Chapter 362
A spot several dozen meters away from where Simon was standing.
Behind a curtain woven from illusion magic, Serne, Kajan, and the student council president, Phantasus, were gathered.
“... Is this thing actually effective?”
Kajan, looking displeased, tapped the curtain with his fingers. Sitting beside him with her knees together, Serne replied with a bright smile.
“Of course! Even if it looks like this, it blocks sound, magic, and even conceals presences. Don’t underestimate the Ivory Tower!”
“Indeed! An excellent illusion barrier!”
Phantasus gave a thumbs-up.
“But lying in wait like this reminds me of our first mission evaluation back in the first year! Ah yes, it was a dawn when drizzle was falling.”
Contrary to his appearance, Phantasus was a talkative type. Serne and Kajan let his story pass in one ear and out the other as they exchanged glances.
“It’s supposed to be a condition that he comes alone, but he’s not really going to come alone, is he?”
“Of course not. And even if, by chance, the prisoner exchange goes smoothly—”
Kajan’s expression turned serious.
“The higher-ups have ordered us to capture Magnus.”
“Your higher-ups sure do love giving unreasonable orders.”
Serne’s smile turned fox-like.
“Ever think of working for the Ivory Tower instead of Keyzen?”
“No.”
“Wow, that’s cold. At least look me in the face when you refuse.”
“No.”
As the two chatted idly, Phantasus suddenly mentioned that the flow of mana in the air had changed.
‘Flow?’
Indeed, there was a change.
A door appeared in midair.
‘They’re here!’
Simon’s eyes sharpened with focus.
It wasn’t a massive gate, just an ordinary-looking door hanging in the air.
Creeeeak—
The door opened, revealing a white backdrop. From beyond it came slow footsteps, and someone emerged.
White hair flowing down to the back.
Pale skin.
A man wearing a gray gown over his body.
From the collarbone down, his upper body was bare, he was barefoot, and water dripped from him.
It seemed he was naked under the gown, like he had just stepped out of a bath.
‘That man…’
Tension gathered on Simon’s face.
Uncontrollable.
The cause of countless incidents and disasters.
A pleasure killer who slaughtered on a whim when displeased.
Even during his Keyzen student days, he had murdered a professor. The 5th Legion Commander.
Magnus Alban.
In one hand, he gripped something like a chain. Pulling on it, he dragged someone out from inside the door.
‘!’
It was a being with black feathers.
Half human, half bird.
Its rotting feathered wings covered its entire body, its legs split into three avian talons, and its face was that of a middle-aged man. There was no beak, but its eyes gleamed with a raptor’s predatory glare.
It looked to be in bad shape, blood streamed from several places, and a strong stench clung to it.
This was none other than the former 7th Legion’s Ancient Undead, Akemius. An aerial combat king mutated from a harpy, commanding the Skullwings.
Yank!
Magnus pulled the chain again, making Akemius stagger from the collar-bound restraint.
Simon could feel Feer’s thoughts stirring with thick resentment.
“Hm—”
Magnus glanced toward the zombie butler bound in spider silk, then scanned the surroundings.
“I told you to come alone, didn’t I?”
“That’s my line.”
Simon replied without a change in expression.
Magnus smirked. Simon raised the corner of his lips as well.
The Dark Alliance’s core.
Two legion commanders stared at each other and began to laugh slowly out loud.
The calm before the storm.
Their laughter echoed across the wide plain, heavy with tension.
The moment either one opened a subspace, the entire plain would be swallowed in black by undead, becoming a battlefield.
“You insolent bastard.”
Magnus gave a clucking laugh.
“I’m your senior as a legion commander, and your senior from Keyzen. We’re practically in a direct senior-junior relationship.”
“I’ve never had a senior like you.”
Simon shot back without backing down.
“More importantly, why do you keep targeting me?”
“You know why.”
Magnus sneered.
“I will obtain every Ancient Undead that exists in the world.”
‘... As expected.’
One big reason Magnus didn’t reveal to outsiders that Simon was the ‘Traitor Legion’s Commander’ was precisely this.
If Simon was captured and the position passed to another necromancer, it would ruin Magnus’ plan.
Ironically, Magnus’ obsession with his ambition gave Simon some measure of security.
“You said you’d obtain all Ancient Undead?”
Simon’s wary gaze locked on Magnus.
“Even if that means reducing the total number of legion commanders?”
“Oh? Are you worried about disrupting the power balance with the Holy Federation? Admirable, but…”
He smiled crookedly.
“No problem. I’ll just do the work of seven myself.”
Simon’s face twisted. What kind of mad logic is that?
“Did you know? There used to be more than seven legion commanders.”
Magnus walked barefoot across the wasteland’s surface.
“Meanwhile, the Saints have always been fixed at seven. And while Saints are replaced as soon as one dies, legion commanders are not. If a ‘master’ is destroyed, the seat is gone.”
“Which is why all the more—!”
“But.”
Magnus cut him off.
“In the past, it took two or three legion commanders to deal with a single Saint. But now, the power gap is almost even. The gap is shrinking. And why is that?”
“...”
Simon had never heard such talk from a legion commander before, so he kept silent.
“Isn’t it obvious? Because now, each legion commander controls multiple Ancient Undead! And as you know, we have no limit on our numbers. Whether seven legion commanders each command seven armies, or one commands all seven, it’s the same! When all legion commanders are united into one—”
Magnus’ eyes gleamed with ambition.
“Then we won’t just be a legion. We will be the king of all undead! The one who will win the long war against the priests!”
Simon let out a long sigh.
“That’s only your opinion.”
“You’re just a rookie, you don’t get it yet. You need to learn more, broaden your view, learn much, much more.”
Magnus tapped his forehead with a finger.
“In that sense, as your direct senior, should I teach you? The true way to use an Ancient Undead.”
“!”
Suddenly, the zombie butler bound in spider silk and cursed talismans rolled his eyes white and twisted in agony.
Simon turned sharply toward him in surprise.
Crack!
Pop!
The zombie butler’s body began swelling like a giant, and at the same time, the spider silk began loosening.
“Simon!!”
Kajan, having pulled aside the illusion curtain, rushed out shouting.
“Negotiations are off! Grab him!”
“Ah, right!”
The moment Simon adjusted his grip on the Greatsword of Destruction—
Uweeeeeek!
The swollen zombie butler vomited a white liquid.
Simon leapt back. Like white paint dropped into clear water, it spread in an instant, covering the entire plain.
Not just Simon, but Magnus and Kajan also stepped into the white space.
“What the—!”
Creak.
Creak-creak-creak.
From the white ground, countless zombies began to rise. They were in the form of White Ghosts, the zombie butler’s elite troops that had caused trouble back in Pentamonium.
‘This many at once!’
“Hahahahahaha!”
Magnus’ shoulders shook as he burst into wild laughter.
At that moment, a flash of light streaked through the sky, and the student council president, Phantasus, descended.
<Phantasus Original – Rage Wave>
Swoooooshhhhhhh!
A black wave descended, blotting out the sky, and Magnus, hands still tucked inside his gown, simply tilted his head back with a grin.
Crack crack crack!
His shadow swelled, turning into countless shadow monsters with eyes and teeth, blocking the crashing wave.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwaaa!
Sea and shadow.
The clash of the two forces was so fierce it brought to mind the end of the world.
“So you’re that one.”
Magnus’ eyes gleamed lazily as he looked at Phantasus.
“That ‘masterpiece’ the Witch of Death’s been raving about lately. To actually make me feel sleepy, impressive.”
Tap!
Magnus suddenly turned his gaze. Simon was charging toward him, the Greatsword of Destruction raised high.
“Haaaahhhhh!”
“Tough, aren’t you?”
Magnus smirked, raising his hand, and the toothed shadows swarmed to it, forming a black sword with a bizarre design.
The distance between them closed in an instant.
Kaaaaaaang!
The moment the two legion commanders’ blades collided, the world shook, clouds split, and the ground warped.
Feeling as though his arms might be torn off, Simon still shouted,
“Now! Prince!”
Thud!
Prince suddenly leapt out, dragging the bound Akemius away.
[Hah-ha! I’m taking Akemius!]
Clang!
Magnus, fending off Phantasus’ wave with one hand and clashing swords with Simon with the other, gave a faint chuckle.
“Ah— it’s fine. I actually came here with the genuine intention of exchanging prisoners.”
“What?”
Gurgle, gurgle.
The limp zombie butler was beginning to sink into the white swamp.
“I’ll return Akemius. He won’t listen to me anyway, and sooner or later—”
His eyes flashed chillingly.
[They’ll all be mine.]
The moment he finished speaking, Magnus’ body sank into the white swamp beneath him and vanished.
Simon’s greatsword and Phantasus’ wave slammed hard into the ground where he had stood, but only cracked the earth in vain.
“We missed him!”
Phantasus cried out in frustration. As Magnus disappeared, the white ground receded, returning the surroundings to normal.
Simon wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and turned around.
[Akemius! Wake up! Akemius!]
Prince was shaking the unconscious Akemius. Simon quickly ran over, and Erzebet, who had been hiding nearby, joined them.
‘...How awful.’
Signs of torture were everywhere.
His whole body was covered in black blood, and the collar around his neck had spikes inside and out. There were burn marks and claw wounds across his body.
Simon swallowed hard.
Even after all this torture, he still refused to join Magnus’ legion?
The thought had barely formed when Akemius’ eyes snapped open.
‘!’
His large hands gripped Simon’s shoulders, pulling him forcefully forward.
Simon’s body was yanked toward him, but Feer sent a signal of reassurance.
Akemius’ massive face loomed close, his deep reddish-brown eyes scanning every detail of Simon’s features.
[...Ah.]
Those reddish-brown eyes began to tremble with emotion.
[You resemble him exactly.]
“What?”
[You look just like Lord Richard.]
In Akemius’ eyes, Simon’s image overlapped with that of Richard in his childhood Keyzen uniform.
[Forgive my disloyalty, young master!]
Thud!
The massive body moved. He dropped to the ground, slamming his forehead into it with a resounding bang.
[This servant, Akemius, has been far too late in rejoining the 7th Legion.]
Simon was swept with both emotion and relief. Feer let out a loud, hearty laugh, and Prince and Erzebet exchanged subtle smiles.
“You’ve suffered enough, Akemius. For now, rest and recover.”
Simon opened a massive subspace, nodded to Feer, and Feer stepped forward to support Akemius.
[It’s good to fight alongside you again, Akemius!]
Akemius nodded.
[The same for me, old comrade.]
At last—
The fourth Ancient Undead had joined the 7th Legion.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters